


lay me down on a bed of roses

by johnshuaa



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Angst, Flowers, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hanahaki Disease, Hong Jisoo | Joshua & Yoon Jeonghan Are Best Friends, M/M, Unrequited Love, depends on how you interpret it, jisoo is a poor baby, joshua could love either, like minimal fluff in the beginning, seoksoon if you get a microscope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-06
Updated: 2018-03-06
Packaged: 2019-03-27 15:42:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13883961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/johnshuaa/pseuds/johnshuaa
Summary: Jisoo loves his flowers very much.





	lay me down on a bed of roses

**Author's Note:**

> ok writing this made me cry oops  
> enjoy :)
> 
> title from If I Die Young by The Band Perry

 

Hong Jisoo first meets Choi Seungcheol on his shift at his little flower shop, a Thursday night when business is slightly deader than usual. His best friend, Yoon Jeonghan is also there, in the back organizing the storage while Jisoo manages the register.

Jisoo sits on the front counter, legs crossed and a book in his hands. He’s absorbed in the storyline, having been reading for the past hour non-stop. The moment the little bell attached to the door rings, Jisoo jumps, throwing his book in the air and falling back from the counter.

He hears a chuckle from the other side of the register while his head is still on the hard tile floor. He winces, rolling over to get up and greet the ungrateful customer.

Jisoo really couldn’t speak, because in front of him is a beautiful boy, laughing his head off because of Jisoo’s stupidity. What a time to be alive.

“Did you want something?” Jisoo says, scowling at the boy, who tries his best to smother his laughter.

“I’m- I’m so sorry,” the boy wheezes. “I just didn’t expect this.”

Jisoo huffs. “Well, if you came here to laugh at me, I certainly don’t appreciate it.”

The laugh eventually calms to a giggle, until the boy lets out one more heavy breath and forms a straight face. “I wanted to get a bouquet. Mainly pink and red theme, I guess.”

Jisoo jots that down on a little notepad. “Anything else?”

The boy rubs the back of his neck. “I don’t really know anything else? I just know she likes those colors and likes flowers of some sort. Probably choose something that smells good?”

Jisoo raises his eyebrow. “Want some professional input?”

“Yes, please.”

Looking around the shop for a little inspiration, Jisoo writes down a few options reflecting the description the boy gave. “I’ve got some ideas down. You can come pick it up any time tomorrow. We open at 9 am, so drop by anytime. Can I get your name?”

“Choi Seungcheol.”

“And I need your phone number, too.”

“Maybe you should get to know me first before you ask for my number.”

Jisoo blushes, and he really can’t tell if it’s from the blatant flirting or the lack of filter from  Seungcheol.

“Shit, that was stupid. Sorry.” Seungcheol’s face is dusted with pink, the same shade as the carnations growing behind him. He recites his phone number and pulls out his wallet.

“Ah, you don’t have to pay ‘til pick up tomorrow. We want to make sure you like the bouquet before buying it.”

Jeonghan pops out from the back right then. “Hey, Jisoo, we’re running low on fertiliz- Well, hello there.”

Jisoo can tell that Seungcheol is entranced by how beautiful Jeonghan is. Everyone who sees him for the first time gets that blank expression on their face because really, Jeonghan’s blonde hair and his sharp features and flawless skin together form a stunning angel on earth. (Jisoo is kind of envious to have a best friend like him, but Jeonghan always reassures him that he’s just as handsome)

“Uh, yeah, I’ll come back tomorrow then…” Seungcheol is gone in a blink of an eye. The bell rings, and he’s out of the shop.

“What’s up with him? I heard him laughing about something for a while” Jeonghan props his elbows on the counter, face between his hands.

“The doorbell rang and I got scared and fell off the counter and then he started laughing at me. Can people just do that?”

Jeonghan giggles.

“Can’t we replace that bell with something else?”

“If you get scared by a bell, then a buzzer would hardly be better. Get used to it, Shua,” Jeonghan says, using the Jisoo’s English endearment instead. He tickles under Jisoo’s chin as if he were a cat.

Jisoo finishes up the order and begins to choose out flowers for the bouquet as Jeonghan lounges around and watches.

“He’s cute though, isn’t he? Like, in a puppy dog way.”

“I guess.”

“Not as cute as you, though. I like cats better anyways.”

Jisoo scoffs. “Why do you always compare good-looking people to pets?”

“Are you saying you’re good-looking?”

“My ego may not be big as yours, but I still believe I _am_ attractive, yes.”

Jeonghan hums. “Well, you’re not wrong there either.”

Picking out some color-coordinated tissue paper, Jisoo finishes up prepping the bouquet, leaving the actual arranging part to Seokmin, who had a better eye for that kind of thing than Jisoo. Jeonghan finds the silence boring and heads back to finish stocking the supplies.

Jisoo finds himself quickly putting the set of numbers on the receipt into his phone before Jeonghan comes back out, complaining about his lack of sleep, and Seokmin and Mingyu join the pair as they take over the final shift of the day.

~~

Jisoo arrives at the flower shop at 8:30 am sharp. He opens up, turning on the heater and checking on each of the plants. He makes sure his little garden on the spare shelf in the greenhouse is doing well, too. Jeonghan called in “sick” that morning, leaving Jisoo to defend himself when Seungcheol comes to pick up his order.

Jisoo makes sure that he’s sitting in a proper chair so he won’t fall off again. Hopefully.

It’s 9:57 am when Seungcheol arrives, a little sweaty and a little red from what seems like spontaneous exercise. He smiles steadily at Jisoo however, pulling out his wallet.

Jisoo, thankfully, expected the bell to ring and gently places the book down to grab the bouquet instead. “How do you like it?”

“It looks amazing. Thank you so much…” Seungcheol trails off.

“Jisoo.”

“Yes, Jisoo. So how much do I owe you?”

The two work out the little details for pricing, and Seungcheol pulls out a credit card. As Jisoo completes the transaction, Seungcheol asks, “So does the other guy on your shift last time work here often?”

Jisoo’s heart sinks. Of course. This happens every time. Jeonghan is a force of nature, a tornado that always unintentionally sucked other people in. Jisoo is just a light patter of rain, barely able to soak through the surface.

“Yeah, he’s around. He just got sick today, or something.” Out of the generosity in his heart, or perhaps they want to get rid of his selfish yearn to keep the boy to himself, Jisoo says, “He usually has the same shift as me. Weekday afternoons and weekend mornings.”

Seungcheol flushes pink again. “I- thanks.” He takes the bouquet. “I’ll see you around then, Jisoo.”

Jisoo offers him a small wave, then throws himself onto the counter.

~~

Seungcheol comes back a week and a half later, and Jisoo is ashamed for counting. Jeonghan likes to ask Jisoo about the cute puppy boy, especially after his “sick day”.

“Jeonghan, I’m really not interested, okay?” Jisoo argues, gently stroking the petals of his carnations.

“Yeah, sure.“

“I’m serious. Plus, he’s more interested in you anyways. The oh, so beautiful Jeonghan, bringing all men to their knees with a flip of his hair.” There’s an ache in his chest when he says that because it’s true. Jeonghan is the living proof that there are people that are better than Jisoo in every way, and it hurts to know that. Jisoo clears his throat to stop his cough.

Jeonghan flips his hair for emphasis. “You’re right. My hair will always be better than yours. Wanna know the secrets?”

Jisoo rolls his eyes playfully. Jeonghan leans in, and together, the two whisper, “It’s a wig.”

They’ve been friends for so long, and Jisoo really can’t blame Jeonghan in the first place. Whoever ends up with who is all just a game of fate.

The bell on the front door jingles, and Jisoo only takes a sudden breath to hide his surprise. It’s not his fault he’s scared of loud noises coming out of nowhere.

Seungcheol is here, again, in light ripped jeans and a plain colored shirt, and  _who does he think he is, walking into Jisoo’s home wearing such a boyfriend material outfit_.

“Hello, Jeonghan! Jisoo!”

The two smile at him from behind the counter, Jeonghan’s grin just a little brighter than Jisoo’s.

The three talk for a bit, about the day, and about their lives. Jisoo learns that Seungcheol just graduated college recently, and was moving a couple miles from his parent’s home to attend the university there and get a Master’s degree.

“But anyways, I just came here to thank you guys for the flowers. My sister really loved them,” Seungcheol says.

Jeonghan smiles. “It’s what we do. Jisoo’s better at the color arrangements anyways. I’m just here to take inventory.”

Jisoo nearly scowls at the beaming Jeonghan for dragging him back into the conversation. He was doing just fine, observing the two from afar. He really, _really_ can’t deal with talking to Seungcheol with Jeonghan edging the two closer together.

“It’s not a problem…” Jisoo mumbles, reddening ever so slightly.

An awkward silence ensues, and that never happens when Jeonghan is around.

“Well, I’ll probably see you around. My mom’s birthday is just around the corner.” Seungcheol turns and winks back at the two before leaving the shop, the doorbell ringing through the room.

“Jisoo, you are whipped.”

~~

He comes back again and again. He buys bouquets for his friends and family. He comes back the next time to thank the two. The cycle repeats. Jisoo wonders how many friends he has to buy flowers for, and how much money had to spend on flowers every week if he is in fact still a college student.

Jeonghan stops making fun of Jisoo and his blushing every time Seungcheol comes around. Instead, he leans over the counter and props his head on his hand, smiling sweetly at the boy every time he visits.  
Jisoo’s heart hurts a bit when he sees Seungcheol grinning back and Jeonghan’s eyes brightening. He stays by their side when they talk and busies himself with sorting the flowers around the shop by color, species, and name. The buckets are moved around so often that Seokmin comes up to him after one of his shifts and scolds him, saying “I haven’t been able to find the chrysanthemum seeds since last week because everything keeps moving. Jisoo, please make up your mind.”

He resorts to refolding all of the tissue paper and watering his plants.

It’s the sixth visit when Jisoo stands in the storage room aimlessly when he hears Seungcheol ask Jeonghan out in his soft voice, and Jeonghan hesitantly saying yes.

There’s a dry itch in the back of Jisoo’s throat and his face heats up significantly. He looks for his bottled water in the employee cubbie and hears Jeonghan’s excited voice echoing through the walls. Jisoo drinks the bottle until it’s drained, but the dryness is still there.

He gives up his dignity and coughs a couple times. Whatever was tickling him disappears, and Jisoo wishes he could too when Jeonghan pops his head back to ask him if he was ok.

“I’m fine. Really.”

He’s not  
~~

Since Jisoo and Jeonghan have the afternoon shifts that often extended into the night because Mingyu and Seokmin both were still college students, Seungcheol picks Jeonghan up from the flower shop.

Apparently, Jeonghan failed to mention any of this to Jisoo beforehand. That night, Jisoo lets his focus stray from his book, and finds himself face to face with the familiar boy. Seungcheol’s wearing a light blue button-down and dark slacks, his hair combed down.

Jeonghan emerges from the employee bathroom in a new pair of jeans and a soft sweater that Jisoo gave him for his birthday some time ago.

Their eyes meet, and Jisoo wonders if Jeonghan had always looked at people like that. It’s unusual to see something besides his sultry expression when he’s dating, but here he is, smiling like the sun at another with a matching face.

There’s something caught in Jisoo’s esophagus.

“You ready?” Seungcheol asks. He eyes Jeonghan from head to toe.

“Yup,” Jeonghan says, walking over to the other two. “See you later, Jisoo!”

“Have fun.”

The bell rings as the two exit the shop, but it’s louder than usual because Jisoo is coughing repeatedly, the sharp sound permeating the eerie quiet.

Eventually, his coughs subside, and he only has to clear his throat every so often. The sun outside sets behind the skyscrapers, and the shop bathes in lights too bright for Jisoo. He finds himself in his little corner, staring at the little pots of flowers he collected over time. Carnations, irises, bluebells, lilies, daisies.

The tickle at the back of his throat comes back, and Jisoo blames it on some sort of allergy that probably arose recently. He also takes a note to buy some medicine on his way home.

At 8 pm sharp, Jisoo closes the shop. He coughs a couple more times, covering his mouth with his hand. He finds a white petal in his palm. He tosses it into the wind, and it flies down the streets of the night.

~~

Friday becomes date nights for Jeonghan and Seungcheol, and it also becomes Jisoo’s allergy day. It gets worse.

Sometimes Seungcheol arrives in a suit. Other times, he’s in sweatpants and his university hoodie.

Jisoo’s heart hurts when he looks at him, then looks at Jeonghan, and lastly considers just how good they look together. They’re happy.

When the two leave, waving at Jisoo, he begins hacking up flowers. White Gardenias, the soft petals fluttering out of his mouth and onto the counter.

He collects them quietly and stores them in a box and stuffs it in the back of his cubbie.

On Friday, or perhaps Saturday at that point, Jisoo sits on the couch of his and Jeonghan’s shared apartment, watching blurred images move across the screen of the TV. He hears the door open. It’s far too late, at least 2 am in the morning. He leans over the back of the sofa to spot the front door.

Jeonghan’s lips are on Seungcheol’s, hungrily kissing him until they were both flushed red. They pull apart for air only to press closer to each other again.

Jisoo pukes out yellow daffodil petals all over the coffee table. He quietly picks each piece up and tosses them in a spare bag, and then makes his way into his room.

Both Jisoo and Jeonghan call in sick for their shift the next morning.

~~

A few more weeks later and Seungcheol and Jeonghan are inseparable. Their hands are always intertwined, and they spend their nights in the living room, while Jisoo is busy hacking up an ombre of pinks and purples and yellows in his room.

It comes to a point where Jisoo buys each flower a tub to sort the petals into. He tapes a label on each, with the common name, scientific name, and a drawing on each basket. There’s a stack of the boxes in his room next to his closet.

And it just gets worse. It gets to the point that Jisoo calls in sick once a week, then every other day, and then daily. Seokmin tells him to get some rest, maybe see a doctor, and that he’ll find a temporary replacement for him at the shop.

Jeonghan also checks up on him occasionally, sitting next to his bed and smoothing down his hair. During those times, Jisoo moves his boxes into the corner and wills himself not to cough, despite how ticklish the back of his throat gets. Every time he wakes up from a nap, there’s a bowl of lukewarm soup on his nightstand. Jisoo drinks it gratefully, and for a couple minutes, it subdues his coughs.

~~

Jisoo is stuck in his bed for a while. His boxes begin to overflow, and the older petals at the bottom begin to rot. His room is a mixture of perfume-worthy aromas and compost odors.

He’s also pretty sure he hasn’t gotten up and used his legs in the past two or three days. Or is it weeks. It all blends together at that point.

Seokmin calls him one more time. “Soonyoung is a great worker, actually. He really has an eye for arrangements. He also works pretty well with Jeonghan, too. Of course, we would love to have you back as soon as possible. Get well, Jisoo.”

It feels like he’s been sick for years and months. He hasn’t lifted his head up from the pillow in over 24 hours, and there’s a stubborn cramp in his neck. Across the room, Jisoo’s mirror reflects the ghost of the man he used to be. His lips lack color, and there are layers of dark bags under his eyes. His cheekbones are even sharper than Jeonghan’s, his skin paler and maybe just as fair as Seungcheol’s.

Another night, and Jeonghan walks in, beaming like a star. Even though the room is completely dark, Jisoo could still manage to see Jeonghan’s perfect figure making his way through the room to his bed. The moonlight casts a small stream of light through his window and onto Jeonghan. He cut his hair, and it’s a light brown now.

“How are you feeling, Jisoo?”

“Bad.” Jisoo’s voice is hoarse from lack of use.

Jeonghan strokes Jisoo’s face, his thumb running across his cheekbone. “I’m sorry I can’t help you. You’ve just been sick for so long and you refuse to go to the hospital. I’m worried, Shua.”

“I’ll get better. Did you need something?”

“Can’t I just be a good friend who’s checking up on you?”

Jisoo tries his best to laugh and it ends up being another cough. He quickly covers his mouth to catch the carnation petal in his hand. He crushes the flower in his fist. “Since when would you do that?”

Jeonghan’s eyes soften, and he helps Jisoo drink some more water. Jisoo’s eyes catch on the hand on the cup.

“Seungcheol asked me to marry him. I said yes.”

The silver light makes the band on Jeonghan’s ring finger glisten.

Jisoo’s stomach tightens, and his heart clenches unbelievably tight. He curls his body into a tight ball, and Jeonghan stands up in fear.

“Jisoo. Jisoo. What do you need?” Jeonghan tries to shake Jisoo’s shoulder.

“Just- let me… Go”

“Are you sure?” Jisoo nods, and sweat trails down his forehead. A golden light flashes briefly as Jeonghan leaves, and then Jisoo lies in the moonlight alone again.

With his last bits of energy, he rolls over and grabs his last empty basket. He leans over the mattress and chokes out everything in his chest. Long, white petals, tinted red from blood, falls slowly into the box.

Jisoo coughs into the night until the box fills to the halfway mark. He musters just a bit more energy to reach for his pen and paper, drawing out long petals with his pencil, and writing the words “Lily” and “ _Lilium_ ”.

His hands loosen, the paper falling into the box, and Jisoo goes unconscious.

~~

Jisoo doesn’t make it to Jeonghan and Seungcheol’s wedding.

The two decided to have it in the spring before finals got in the way. Jeonghan’s parents think they’re jumping into marriage way too early, considering they’ve only known each other for a year, and have been dating for even less than that.

Nonetheless, they plan their wedding. The flower arrangements are all courtesy of Seokmin and the little flower shop that was Jisoo’s pride and joy.

He could feel that his time is coming. His boxes are filled beyond what they can hold. There’s blood all over Jisoo’s sheets that he couldn’t bother washing out. He feels disgusting, having not washed in over two weeks.

Jeonghan had approached him before to be the best man for the wedding.

“You’re my best friend, Jisoo. I want you to be there. Why can’t we take you to the hospital?”

Jisoo just shakes his head. He whispers, “They can’t diagnose me anyways. I won’t be in the condition to toast to you. Get Seokmin. Or Mingyu.”

There’s a hand on waist, squeezing his hip bone softly. “I’m sorry, Jisoo. I love you.”

Then he leaves the room.

~~

On the wedding day, Jisoo manages to roll himself off of the bed and into the bath, where he sits for a couple hours and gets all wrinkly. At least he’s smelling a bit better.

Jisoo doesn’t know where the newfound energy came from, but he puts on his best pair of jeans and a sweater and lays out his boxes. He dumps the petals around the room, scattering whites and yellows and pinks and browns on the floor.

In the box of white lilies, Jisoo finds his label, yet to be cut out and stuck on the box. Instead, he flips it and writes on the other side, the lyrics of an American song he heard too many times on the radio while he lived in LA, and leaves it on his bed.

There’s no one in the living room, as they were probably all over at the venue, making last minute preparations. Jisoo is sure there’s a front row seat waiting for him there, but he decides that can’t attend when he’s like this.

The familiar walk to the flower shop stuns Jisoo. He takes in the sun as he stumbles along the streets like a drunk man. When he arrives at the shop, the glass door is unlocked. Mingyu must have forgotten to lock up after delivering to Jeonghan’s wedding, which is why Jisoo was always responsible for night shifts.

Jisoo’s employee cubbie is now decorated with little stickers and pictures, rather than just the plain, birch wood. _How cute_.

A wave of coughs echoes through the greenhouse. Jisoo’s plants are still there, well and growing. There’s even a little chalkboard sign, with “Jisoo’s flowers” written in calligraphy that only Jeonghan’s delicate hand could draw.

Jisoo picks up his pot of pink Gardenias, his favorites, and curls up in the corner of the greenhouse. He barfs out more lily petals that surround him like a frame, each white leaf dipped in saturated blood. The warm air surrounds Jisoo, slowly lulling him to sleep.

The flowers invading Jisoo’s lungs and throat grows and grows. His last deep breath smells of roses and soil and iron.

The front row seat, the one right next to the aisle, remains empty, even as Jeonghan looks over Seungcheol’s shoulder to imagine his best friend sitting there, smiling, eyes crinkling. He wonders what would have happened if this had worked out any other way.

Jeonghan looks away from the spot and sniffs the pink Gardenia boutonniere pinned on his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> i started writing this and i couldn't stop so i haven't written anything good for my chaptered fic ahahaha  
> Wanna one comebackkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk  
> and stray kids debutttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt  
> >.< what a time to be alive
> 
> stalk me on  
> twitter  
> [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/johnshuaa)


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